


Child of Luck: The 46th Hunger Games

by MoonlightSalsa



Series: The Victor With 23 Faces [9]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, District Nine (Hunger Games), Gen, Pyromania, Rebellion, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27301216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlightSalsa/pseuds/MoonlightSalsa
Summary: Jerry Silas was a child of luck. But that luck had to run out at some point.
Series: The Victor With 23 Faces [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692511
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Child of Luck: The 46th Hunger Games

**75.**  
After forty-seven years of an impossibly lucky life, Jerry Silas finally had his share of back luck for once: he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When the bloodbath was finally over, his body bobbed in the water next to the launch pedestals, his killer running off into the jungle with his alliance. There was no one to mourn him, not even his district, who were more upset over Liddie’s death. Liddie has been a nice enough person, firm but fair. Jerry was nothing but luck and greed. 

It is considered something of a tragedy to not be missed by your own district, your home, your ilk. Few Nine tributes ever met this fate, and now Jerry, their fourth Victor, was among them. 

**46.**  
When Jerry’s name was called at the reaping, many in the audience resisted the urge to cheer. Others didn't resist at all. How could they not? After all, the Devil’s son was going to die! 

Jerry’s cheeks reddened at the noise. He'd never been so humiliated! How could they be so mean to him? What had he ever done to them to deserve this? 

It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that his mother was Head Peacekeeper in the district and that his father was a Capitol loyalist? No, it couldn't be! What reason would anyone have to even think of reaping his name, considering who his fucking parents were? 

What he didn't consider was the possibility that it was just his own bad luck. 

As he climbed the stage, he saw his parents off to the side, positively fuming. They looked just as angry as he felt. How dare they reap their son! Why him, and not any other one of those cheeky, rude, horrid brats in the district? 

His district partner, a cheeky, rude, horrid brat by the name of Mindy, spat on the floor at his feet rather than shake hands with him. 

**75.**  
When his name was called out, he only barely held in a frustrated scream. 

Again? Wasn't once enough? Who the fuck did these people think they were?! 

He wished that Conor or Miller were still alive, so that they could have taken his place instead. He looked over at Sun, still sitting stiffly in her seat on the side of the stage. She was so lucky Liddie was reaped and not her! Why couldn't he have that kind of luck? 

The audience began to cheer again and he clapped his hands over his ears. 

**46.**  
The only person who genuinely seemed happy to see him was Astoria, the escort. She was glad that she finally had a tribute who appreciated the hard work and power of the Capitol. She was happy to hear about his parents’ efforts to better their district. And she squealed in excitement when he told her about how he was planning to join the Peacekeepers. Or maybe work in his father's mill, of which his father had been gifted the position of owner in reward for his loyalty. 

Who needs “hard work” and “blood, sweat and tears” when all you have to do is show the Capitol how much you appreciate them? 

Liddie took Mindy into another carriage to mentor her privately. Miller listened to Jerry and Astoria’s conversation with a sick feeling in his stomach. 

Of all fucking people in the district, it just had to be Jerry Silas? 

**75.**  
Throughout his time at the Training Centre, nobody paid any attention to him. Why should they? After all those years of being bullied and pushed around by that scumbag, why should they still continue to waste their precious time on him? 

As Jerry sulked at the knot-tying station, Liddie talked quietly with Dominic and Charisse from Ten. With their near-silent words, they agreed to take him down in the bloodbath. 

Killing one’s own district partner was considered taboo, but they no longer cared. His parents were long dead. He had no friends, no other family. No one would care. 

Of course, he himself would care, but they didn't care that he cared. 

**46.**  
Jerry made quite a scene during training, constantly whining about how his family were “proper, upstanding” members of Panem. The Hunger Games were only meant to punish the guilty. He was not a rebel! He was not guilty of anything! 

The Gamemakers were quick to take note, of course. One phone call to District Nine was all it took for them to realise who they were dealing with, and make appropriate plans. 

Meanwhile, Mindy simply pretended to have never met her district partner before in her life. 

**75.**  
He received a score of nine. An impressive score for a less than impressive showing. 

He bragged about it to Liddie, comparing it to her own average, but honest, score of five. Liddie rolled her eyes. 

**46.**  
He received a score of nine. An impressive score for a less than impressive showing. 

He bragged about it to Mindy, comparing it to her own poor, but honest, score of three. Mindy rolled her eyes. 

**75.**  
The audience clapped enthusiastically after his interview. He had always been a Capitol favourite. He never needed to work too hard at that. 

But it was obvious that he would not be the star of the show tonight. No, it would be that stupid lovey-dovey couple from Twelve. Their lame romance story made him want to barf. Bleh. 

Maybe if they were avid Capitol supporters too, then he wouldn't hate them so much. But they weren't. That much was obvious. 

Yawn. Their story really wasn't even all that interesting, or unique! Not to mention that they actively spat in the Capitol’s face with that berry stunt they pulled last year. 

Jerry clenched his fists. They didn't know who they were dealing with. 

**46.**  
His interview had the entire crowd jumping up and singing his praises as he spoke fondly of the city as if it were a second home to him. His mother had been from the Capitol and had always reminisced about it. His father was one of the few people in Nine who actively supported the city’s rule. 

Jerry instantly became a fan favourite. Capitol loyalists from outlying districts were such rarities, after all! Sure, there were the Careers and they were always fun, but the audience was drawn in by Jerry’s sob stories of being hated and spat upon by his district just because of his beliefs- 

-but they weren't beliefs! They were facts!

 **75.**  
Jerry’s good luck didn't save him the second time around. 

As soon as he had decided to go after the boy from Twelve, he was done for. 

His body was collected. It was cleaned, dressed and treated with the utmost care before being sent back to Nine. 

**46.**  
Jerry’s good luck saved him. 

He had been chased by the boy from Two until the boy suddenly tripped on a rock that hadn't been there before and sliced his arm open with the machete he had been carrying. 

Jerry didn't grab any supplies on the way out, but that was okay. It wasn't a problem. He had plenty of sponsors to live off of. 

**75.**  
When his body arrived back in Nine, it was stored in the Justice Building for three days before a haggard old man claiming to be a distant relative came to collect it. 

The coffin was taken to the mill which Jerry’s father had once owned and placed inside, on top of a sizable stack of scraps of wood and paper, kindly donated by those who wanted some form of catharsis. 

The pile was set ablaze, and soon the whole building was on fire. 

The old man cackled until his chest hurt. 

**46.**  
Jerry ran up and down the grassy hills that made up the arena before finally coming to rest in the shade of a particularly large one. It wasn't long before he received several parachutes carrying food, water, and a knife. 

Jerry smiled, looked up at the sky, and thanked his sponsors. 

Six cannons boomed. Jerry was glad that such lowly people had learned the price of their rebellion. Just a shame that they learned it too late. 

**75.**  
Not long after the fire at the mill, several unknown persons threw Molotov cocktails through the windows of the Peacekeeper barracks. Then several more attacked the offices, training stations and mess hall. 

No tears were shed for the fifty-two lives lost that night. 

**46.**  
Jerry had lucky escape after lucky escape - narrowly avoiding being caught by other tributes who would then trigger traps that, surely, Jerry would have triggered by himself - right? 

In one such instance, the girl from Six was bolting after him, knife in hand - when all of a sudden she found herself falling through a deep hole that had been covered up with grass… the very same grass that Jerry had just run across only seconds before. 

And then there was the Five boy who was almost immediately attacked by vicious bird mutts as soon as he got close to Jerry. 

Jerry didn't question it. He assumed that he was just nimble enough to avoid everything. Lucky him. 

**75.**  
The only reason they didn't go after his house was because the other Victor’s houses were right next door and they didn't want the entire neighbourhood to accidentally go up in flames. 

So instead they looted his house, taking everything valuable for themselves and dumping the rest into one big pile and setting it on fire. The smoke could be seen from nearly everywhere in the district. 

Let that be a message to any more Capitol loyalists: _You are not welcome here. You were never welcome here._

**46.**  
The Twelve boy stumbled over a sleeping Jerry in the pitch black of night. In the ensuing struggle, the boy lay dead on the ground with several stab wounds, and District Twelve lost their chance at winning for another year. 

Jerry had easily overpowered him. That tribute was, at the end of the day, just some weak, dirt-poor shrimp who was going to die anyway. 

Jerry retrieved his knife and prepared himself for the finale. 

**75.**  
District Nine burned. Townships, fields, factories; everything save for the Victor’s Village and the very outskirts of the district. 

The people were fed up. They had been mistreated for far too long. It was time to take a stand once more. They weren't going to back down this time. 

With four out of their five Victors dead and the fifth one nowhere to be found, it was a charged climate. But they would get through it. 

They had to. 

**46.**  
Jerry’s battle against his remaining opponent was surprisingly quick. Commencing at the top of the tallest hill at the break of dawn, both boys circled each other with the brand-new swords they had recently been sponsored. It was now or never. 

The battle only lasted for three minutes and ended when Jerry swung out with his sword and, in an attempt to dodge it, the other boy stumbled backwards and toppled head-over-heels all the way down the hill. 

After that, it was just a matter of running after him and finishing him off with a slice to the neck. 

**75.**  
When Sun emerged from hiding three months later, along with Isaiah and two unexpected guests in tow, she should have expected a lot of damage to her surroundings. But still, it was jarring to see everything looking as if it was the set of an apocalyptic thriller. 

A young man approached her and began to weep. “We thought you were dead!” 

“Well, I'm not.” Sun brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. She breathed in the sooty air. “Do I need to ask what happened here?” 

The man wiped his tears away. “We've just had enough of everything. We've been mistreated for so long… so we fought. We fought until we thought we might all die because of it. But now the fighting’s over. The Capitol has declared peace.” 

Sun clutched Isaiah’s hand. He squeezed hers back. 

Finally. 

**46.**  
Jerry reclined on the brand-new, top-of-the-line sun lounger on his balcony, watching the sun dip below the horizon. The sky flared up with all sorts of bright colours. The air out in the Victor’s Village was sweet and clear. 

If he were to stick his nose back inside, he would smell the delicious scents of roast chicken and potatoes. His father was cooking dinner tonight. His mother had opted to live at the Peacekeeper barracks in order to be closer to her work. Jerry understood completely, although he missed her terribly sometimes. 

He sighed. He had no idea how the fuck he ended up in the Games in the first place. It sucked to be punished for something he didn't even do, but hey, at least he got a new house, money and status out of it. 

He did think about going to work at his father's mill, or as a Peacekeeper, but to be honest, he enjoyed living out here in peace and quiet much more. 

This was the life he deserved. One of grandiose luxury, and no judgement from those miserable losers around him. 

Finally. 


End file.
